Container closure



Oct. 21, 1952 J. ROBINSON 2,614,868

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Oct. 4, 1946 Fig.1.

Fly 60 INYENTOR. Josem ROBINSON M Q44, Liar/ A rro/ewy.

Patented Oct. 21, 1952 UNITED S'TA 'ITES E-NJT, 1 i 2,614,868; ICONTAINER CLOSURE Josephitobinson, New York N. Y;

Application October-'4, 1946, Serial No. 170L171" I l IThisiinventlonl-relatestoscontainen closures-mi theitypelgenerallyq"usedgimgasoliner drums: and the ylike and; is-san improvementI on :the closure shown i111": my "co-pending application Serial No.571,-.748g-gfi1ed January; 8, 1945.; which: hasnsince matured-into- U.Patenti'Ncx, 2,445,?302; granted July 27;1948r Thevprimary object is' toprovide aiiclos-uremfrhighperformance and*extreme sime p1icity;.whiohrequires =a;minimum"of preparation either-drum to-receive it;mountsceasily thereinr usestbut. .one: gasket insteadxof 1 the usual Itwo gaskets, and is simpler and icheaper to manuface turetthan any knownclosurez v-of likersizmand purpose... In carrying out this primaryobject- I provide, as, an important partsofnmy iIIlDI'OVB-v ment,a'simp-le insert or threadednring which may be die:cast, cutffromptubingon automaticmae chines; or shaped "from a'relatively thin narrowbaron-which the threads-are rolledwhilethe bar iszflat oncutafter thebar has been formed into airings: I

Other objects-ancl advantages of my improve-* ment are describedxin thefollowing-specification, pointed out in theappended:clairhs-andilliistrated in ,the accompanying drawings; in whichFigure. 1 .is a half; vertical sectionzand hal-fuelee vation oflmyimproved closure showing :theparts assembled and theseal :cap F inplace;. In "this view, and incFigure2, the parts are:: shownapproximately; one and; one-half I times actual size;, I I 1 Figure2.isa vertical section through'the house ing ,Bandthe threaded; insertor: lringiCl with :the parts as they appear .in floneistage of assembly;

Figure? is .a topview, natural size, of 'theinsert B'shownin Fig-urec2;I I

Figure 4.1-is a ,detail in. vertical section-loft a modifiemassembly, ofthe insert "B and housing;

Figure 511 is;a detail. in ventical. seetionoota: a modificationof..themarts, and. of theT1 assembly thereof, and,

Figurefi is .acplan view, froxnthelthreadedi side, of therelativelythin. flat ,bar from. which *the ring or insert ,C isvformed; In thisview the rolled threads, and one-typeeof :knurlinggare showmr Referringto Figures :1 and 2 501 r the adraazvingss The drum A is, provided :with:.,an::outwardlywexe tending housing B pressed from the drumvstock andpiercedrbywaeasingle :forming operation. In this housing -my improved 1insert? orvcylindricai bushing ior ringpC is 1mounted'zflushrwiththe bottour or the: housings. Theta. rings is. relatively narrow and has abaseel 0', internally :threadedkat I I. Theathickness of- .the:;base isapproximately and the height thereof islaaboutxhalttthe I 6sClaimsi-(Cl. 285-49) threads upward the ring isreduced in "thickness I to'approximately half "the a thickness" of the -bas'e :I0. This formstheupper-halter anchor portion I not indispensable; anchoragebetween theparts;

Further movement of the; same die ufiares; and additionallyswedges; theupper part: I6 ofi 'the housing; and the anchor portion I21'of the ringC,*to the-shape shown in Figure "1; and carriesrthe edge ll of the:flange: outiofthe-apath of 'the threads al8=on the hollow plug =D.This-assembly fli-mly locks the ring against vertical andiwrotarymovementin: the housing: B; and provides: a smooth annular seats-I 9 on"the innenface ofvthe flangeeIS to: receive: the gasket The gasketmayxbev of: anysdesi-red shape 'and'material, pref erably round incross-section andtofrpliable resile ient materialua "IhesplugyrD isr.provided;immedi*-r ately belowsits annularflange 20; with" an annularretaining: seat 2] in .whichuthe gasket E' rests; Suitable; Wrench"-lugs.-22: are formed on wthe'zinner walls got the plug;,-and spacedTdifiIIIGtIiCflHYQDPO-r site one 2170 :the: other,- to receive :a $001for-inserts ing,;and removingzrthesplugr; When it 1 is desined topositively prevent undetectable-a tampering with the ucontents of-the;container; aaseal cap oiklight materialxis placedxover rthe.shousing Band plug D and its lower portion 2 3 (indicated also i in dotted-, linesin Figures: 1) i isqtightly crimped, by means act :a: suitable tool,underi the retaining shoulder '24 1 formed 1 by; the: outwardfiare=.of11-the housing. Witlrthevcapzin placeas shownvaccess:to;;the.:pl.ug gDican'fbeshadoonlyvby destroyingithegcap;

The insert or ring Cimay;asrsaforesaid; hedie "cast; fully ithreaded; as1 a solid continuous ring or 'it may be-rapidl'y cut on aLrrautomatiscrew machine from a tube having the outsidediameter into a ring. Thebutt joint 25, Figures 2 and 3, need not be welded because the gasket E,compressed by the plug B against its seat I9 on the flared flange I5,seals both the joint between the ring C and thehousing B and between thering and the plug D. This advantageous construction requires the use ofbut one gasket (instead of the usual two gaskets) to seal a containerperfectly tight with my improved closure. It provides an insert or ringC of extreme simplicity and low manufacturing cost, since it can be'madeof inexpensive materials and by the simplest and most rapidmanufacturing techniques. tively thin anchor portion 12 of the ring,even though made of die casting alloys, will yield sufficiently, withoutoverstressing or cracking, to

The rela-- ,of the drum stock and is anchored inthe housing at but onepoint, its quite thin top portion l2, and secondly because the bottom ofthe insert does not overlap against the bottom of the housing B to beput under strain when the housprovide the effective anchorage andinterlock,

between it and the flared portion I 6 of the housing B, Figures 1, 4 and5. 1

The modification shown in Figure 4 contem plates wrapping the flange Idown against the top thread in the insert C, the beveled inner edge 26being provided to clear the threads iii of the plug D. In thisembodiment of my improvement the. outward flare of the parts is slightlycurved as shown, and the upper edges of the housing B and ring C areindented as at 21 to further lock the ring against rotation in thehousing.

In Figure 5 is shown another modification of the parts. It permits along overlap of the flange l5 with respect to the anchor portion [2 ofthe ring, and allows a seat 28 to be formed adjacent the top thread ofthe ring, and at an angle to the vertical axis of the ring, into whichthe lower edge of the flange I5 is forced, clear of the threads I8 ofthe plug D, as the parts are flared and swedged together. Thisarrangement permits the plug (indicated by dotted lines in this figure).and the gasket E to be threaded into the housing until the top oftheplug flange 20 is approximately flush with the top of the housing B.This brings the gasket against not only its seat I 9 of the flange butalso against the top thread of the ring C and against the point ofcontact between the flange l5 and the I seat 28, making a dependablytight joint. In this embodiment of my improvement the base of the ringis. thicker than in the case of.

the construction shown in the other figure. This permits a lug 29 to bebroached from the sides of the base at intervals around its outsidediameter. These lugs fit into grooves orindentations 30 formed in thebase of the housing B to positively lock the ring against rotation inthe housing. If this construction of the ring is cast these lugs would,of course, also be cast and would not curl outwardly from the base ofthe ring but would be solid therewith. In this' construction of myimprovement, as in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 3, when theplug D is screwed to the extreme limit of its downward movement in thering C its flange 2i engages the flaring surface [9 of the housing whichacts as a stop for the plug.

The simple construction of myimproved insert or ring C permits, asaforesaid, the use of a shallow easily formed housing B, and provides,

ing expands vertically. Compressing the gasket E against a smoothcone-shaped or flaring seat 19 is another important protection againstleakage and breathing. The sliding or slipping action of the gasket onthis seat as it moves to final rest improves the seating contact betweenthe parts and sets up compressional forces on the gasket in directionsat an angle to the ver tical axis of the plug D as well as parallel tothat axis. The arrangement pushes the gasket inwardly tightly againstits seat 2! on the plug and vertically against its seat on the undersideof the plug flange 2i]. Freezing of'the plug ID in the insert or ring Cis minimized by my improvement because both the plug and the insert maybe economically manufactured of noncorrosive materials. Compressing thegasket against the drum stock'itself and not against the insert C,contributes importantly to there moval of freezing common to presenttype closures. If a gasket, long in the tightly sealed joint formed bymy improvement, freezes or sticks to its seat Hi there is no tendency toturn the insert or ring C in the housing B under heavy wrenching of theplug D to remove it. These various features of my improvedclosurecombine to make enduringly tightjoints which; along with low costis, of course, the ideal resultd What I claim is:

1. ,A closure receiving mouth for a metal container comprising incombination a container wall having an opening therein defined by anoutwardly extending cylindrical housing, a ringlike insert disposed insaid housing with its bottom edge adjacent the lower portion thereof andits exterior surface in engagement. therewith, said insert having aninternally threaded base and a non-threaded anchor portion, the anchorportion of said insert being arranged above said threaded base andhaving a wall thicknessless than the wall thickness of said base andgenerally comparable with the wall thickness, of the housing, the outerextremity of said housing being turned downward over the anchor portionof the insert to form a U-shaped section at the outer extremity of thehousing, the .U-shaped section of the housing and the anchor portion ofthe insert being flared outward simultaneously relative to theinternally threaded base of the insert to positively lock said insertagainst vertical movement in the housing and to form an upwardly facinggenerally cone shaped seatfor a gasket. 7

2. A closure receiving mouth for a metal container, in combination, inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the lower edge of said flange when theflange is outwardly flared lies above the topmost thread of saidthreaded base and inapproximately the plane occupied by the root of thethreadsof said base. I

3. A closure receiving mouth for a metal container, in combination, inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the insert is a split ring formed of astraight relatively thin and relatively narrow strip of metal having twothicknesses and a common width throughout its length, the part ofgreatest thickness forming said base and the part of lesser thicknessforming said anchor portion, the threads of said base having been rolledtherein as said ring was shaped.

4. A closure receiving mouth for a metal container, in combination, inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the outwardly flared U-shaped sectionof said housing forms a downwardly facing inclined shoulder whichretainingly receives a seal cap for preventing undisclosed tamperingwith the contents of said container.

5. A closure receiving mouth for a metal container, in combination, inaccordance with claim 1, wherein a gasket is received by said coneshapeseat and constitutes the only sealing means for preventing leakagethrough said closure of the contents of said container.

6.- A closure receiving mouth for a metal container, in combination, inaccordance with claim 1, wherein means are provided on the anchorportion of the insert for augmenting the interlock between the flange ofsaid housing and said anchor portion.

JOSEPH ROBINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain July 20, 1938

